The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and other partners, has released the Nigeria Child and Forced Labour Survey Reports 2022.
The papers seek to shed light on the incidence of child and forced labour in Nigeria, as well as the impact on children’s well-being and education.
Adeyemi Adeniran, Chief Executive Officer of the National Bureau of Statistics, highlighted the importance of data in solving the difficulties posed by child and forced labour during the inaugural ceremony in Abuja.
Mr. Adeniran emphasized that the study done in 2022 is an important baseline for determining the scope of the problem, stressing that child and forced labor is a global issue confronting many developing countries.
According to the ILO data highlighted during the event, a considerable number of children involved in child labor are out of school worldwide, with boys being more affected than girls across all age categories. The research emphasizes the urgent need for coordinated efforts to address this widespread issue.
The Director of the ILO Country Office for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Liaison Office for ECOWAS, Dr. Vanessa Phala, stressed the importance of data-driven solutions to address child and forced labour effectively.
She highlighted the financial support provided by the United States Department of Labor (USDOL) and the Netherlands Government for projects aimed at combating child and forced labour in Nigeria.
The representative of the US Embassy in Nigeria, Andray Abrahamian, emphasised the significance of the report’s findings in shaping policy and international efforts to address child and forced labour.
Abrahamian commended the collaboration between the Nigerian government, the ILO, and the US Department of Labor in implementing projects aimed at combating this issue.
Minister of State for the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, emphasised the importance of creating an enabling environment to reduce the prevalence of child and forced labour.
“When an enabling environment is created for citizens to thrive through job creation, especially the adults and parents, it is obvious that they can take care of themselves and their children to send them to school and provide for them so they have no need to engage them in child labour, forced labour, or even trafficking.
“Also, it is the agenda of Mr. President to ensure the rule of law is upheld and the rights of citizens are protected to ensure decent work, so that even the children who are within the minimum age for employment can work in decent jobs,” she said.
The event closed with a plea for all parties to work together to eliminate child and forced labor in Nigeria. Participants expressed hope that the report’s insights will drive effective policy initiatives to achieve this goal.
In addition to government representatives, the FCT Children’s Parliament, NAPTIP, ECOWAS, the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, and Nigeria’s Ministry of Women Affairs all presented words of goodwill.
